Why Do We Tell Ourselves Scary Stories About AI? | Quanta Magazine Our tales of AI developing the will to survive, commandeer resources, and manipulate people say more about us than they do about language models.

www.quantamagazine.org/why-do-we-te...
This is a very good response to the usual panic stories.

Sehr geehrte Katherina Reiche, hier meine 9 Ideen:
1. Neun-Euro-Ticket
2. Ausbau ÖPNV
3. Tempolimit
4. Stopp Autobahnneubauten
5. Mobilitätsgeld
6. On-Demand auf dem Land
7. Stopp Förderung für (teilf)ossile Dienstwagen
8. Dito bei Kaufprämie

Bitte. Danke.

katja-diehl.de/raus-aus-der...

Es könnte keinen besseren Tag geben, um diese Aktion zu starten.
Chapeau!

How Paris swapped cars for bikes – and transformed its streets Under Anne Hidalgo – mayor for 12 years until last week – the French capital added bike lanes, cut traffic and reclaimed public space, but not without resistance

“What’s missing in the rest of the world is courage,” she said. “Mayors could say: ‘This is my opportunity [to leave a] legacy,’ but most will not dare.”

@richardparkerwm.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

"Eine bahnbrechende neue Studie zeigt, dass #COVID19 nicht „nur eine Erkältung“ ist: Eine Infektion kann zu dauerhaften Immunschäden führen, und Menschen mit Herzerkrankungen verlieren bis zu 70 % ihrer wichtigsten Immunzellen. Reinfektionen können dies verschlimmern."

Bronze plaque saying "A Letter to the Future. Ok is the first Icelandic glacier to lose its status as a glacier. In the next 200 years all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path. This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it. August 2019. 415ppm CO2"

TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".

please get your flu jabs signed someone who gets sick

The Sick Times News Match It's Giving Tuesday! Our end-of-year fundraiser has been moving more slowly than we planned. To help us get back on track, we're hoping to raise $10,000 and gain 50 new monthly supporters (at any amount!) by the end of the day today.

Since Betsy and Miles launched this nonprofit publication in 2023, we've made it our mission to provide essential news and information to people with Long COVID, related diseases, and their loved ones during the ongoing pandemic - and we're not slowing down any time soon. Whether you're following for our COVID-19 trends, research explainers, clinical trial updates, or personal essays, our fact-based reporting helps you better understand the continuing Long COVID crisis.

Can you help power our Long COVID reporting! DONATE TODAY The Sick Times News Match

Other ways to support us We understand that many people in our community aren't able to donate. This is why we'll never have a paywall — our stories will always be completely free to read. If you aren't in a position to donate yourself, here are a few ways you can help: • Share this email/this post with a friend/family member • Tell us why you find our work valuable • Send any ideas you have for potential funding sources The Sick Times News Match

It’s #GivingTuesday! Will you help us get our fundraiser back on track and keep our #LongCOVID journalism going? the-sick-times.fundjournalism.org/donate/

Infographics on the colours of poinsettia, pomegranate and watermelon. The colours of poinsettia bracts and pomegranate are both caused by anthocyanins, while the red-pink coloration of watermelon is due to the carotenoid lycopene.

Infographics on the colours of poinsettia, pomegranate and watermelon. The colours of poinsettia bracts and pomegranate are both caused by anthocyanins, while the red-pink coloration of watermelon is due to the carotenoid lycopene.

For day 2 of #ChemAdvent we look at the chemical connection between the colours of poinsettia and pomegranate – both caused by anthocyanin compounds.

These compounds also change when added to solutions of different acidity or alkalinity, giving a rainbow of colours 🌈

#ChemSky 🧪

Hivemind, I have a challenge. Popular culture is dominated by the car (car chases, cop dramas etc), helping us accept a car-dominated urban environment as normal. Can you think of any examples of popular culture highlighting bikes, trams, walking etc? I can only think of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Protestors protect themselves from airborne viruses in the tight crowd on Malieveld

when we say we want more streets to be pedestrianized, this is what we mean

One of my favorite things is getting to tell friends who are new to NYC that the subway "stand clear of the closing doors please" voice is a trans woman named Bernie Wagenblast and she's amazing.

This great thread makes a point I've been trying to convey for years. Calling all data-driven prediction or decision software "AI" is a huge gift to LLM hypemen, who want people to believe, incorrectly, that LLM data centers are crucial for solar forecasting or operating buildings and power grids.

An image of two activists wearing long trains reading "end the fossil fuel era" and "phase out fossil fuels" with banners above them reading "stop Amazon oil" and "1.5oC under threat: time to act."

Nearly 30 countries refuse to sign a final #COP30 agreement that doesn't include "fossil fuel phase-out," as negotiations head into overtime.

Live updates from @fionaharvey.bsky.social, @olliemilman.bsky.social and @theguardian.com here: www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

A letter to the presidency seen by the Guardian shows that many of the governments in favour of a roadmap have set it as a "red line" for the talks. It reads: "We cannot support an outcome that does not include a roadmap for implementing a just, orderly, and equitable transition away from fossil fuels. This expectation is shared by a vast majority of Parties, as well as by science and by the people who are watching our work closely. The world is looking to this Cop to demonstrate continuity and progress after the Global Stocktake. Anything less would inevitably be seen as a step backward."

Thrilled to see that COP30 has shifted into open conflict between the petrostates and the circa 80 countries, including Germany and the majority of European states, who are demanding a mechanism for phasing out fossil fuels be included in the outcome.

Holy shit this is hopeful!!

A handsome black and white tuxedo cat on the top of a chair looking at the camera

In case you need a timeline cleanse. #tuxedocatsofbluesky

Graphic from nyc public health that says “wear a mask this fall” It shows two yellow emoji people. One on the left is wearing a white mask and making a peace sign. The one on the right is wearing a scarf and blowing its nose.

Excellent public health messaging from New York City!!

Be the happy peace sign waving emoji instead of the sick and sniffling emoji.

How can you do that?

Wear a mask! Ideally a respirator like an N95.

It’ll help keep you and your community safe.

Morgen wird es für mich die Impfung gegen #Influenza geben.

Wer es gerade nicht auf dem Schirm hat: Die Influenza-Saison beginnt dieses Mal früher.

Lasst euch impfen - übrigens nicht nur gegen Influenza, sondern auch gegen #Covid19.

Auch Impfungen gegen RSV und Pneumokokken prüfen!

#TeamVernunft

People somehow miss the point that "nothing happened" is the desirable outcome, and the result of safety engineers actually doing their jobs.

1. Great, let's do this

2. Here's some useful info (from my agent). You have until March 23, 2026 and it now includes illustrators

3. Here is the Works Lookup link: secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/lookup/

Hey! Northern hemisphere folks:

this is my annual reminder to myself and perhaps also to you that if you have the schedule autonomy to permit it, get out for a walk or whatever during daylight hours! It's important!

You can work more when it's dark but you need whatever sunlight is available!

My mom has filed! Tell the authors in your life to check if they're on Anthropic's list

🥁14.11.2025 weltweit Klimastreik Demos und natürlich auch in Berlin und natürlich auch mit dem ADFC Tempelhof sowie weiteren ADFC Stadtteilgruppen💪
Als Redner war auch Stefan Rahmstorf vom Potsdamer Institut für Klimafolgenforschung mit dabei!

Wusstet ihr das?
Die unzählig vielen kleineren CSDs gehen medial oft unter, aber sie senden das wohl eindrucksvollste Zeichen der diesjährigen Pride-Saison: Jetzt erst recht!

Schriftzug: Nationale Dekade gegen postinfektiöse Erkrankungen: 50 Mio. Euro jährlich für ME/CFS und andere postinfektiöse Krankheiten

🔬 Das Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR) hat gestern eine Nationale Dekade gegen postinfektiöse Erkrankungen angekündigt. Über 10 Jahre hinweg sollen 50 Mio. Euro jährlich in die Erforschung von #MECFS und anderen postinfektiösen Erkrankungen investiert werden.

(1/4)

Tributes at Bryn Mawr College to the brilliant mathematician Emmy Noether, who spent her final years there. Noether revolutionized the methods of modern physics by identifying continuous symmetry groups with conservation laws. The third image is her grave marker.

#Science #Mathematics #Physics

Friendly reminder that dishwashers made after 1995 or so are so water and energy efficient that even if you ran them twice fully loaded it would still use less water than handwashing the same load.

So many "green" things feel like sacrifices. Dishwashers are not one of them.

Eine exklusive Forsa-Umfrage für Table.Briefings zeigt: Auch unter CDU/CSU- und SPD-Wählern fordern viele mehr #Klimaschutz. Und selbst in der wirtschaftlich schwierigen Lage soll das deutsche Klimaziel nicht aufgeweicht werden, so die Befragten. 1/3

table.media/climate/them...